Five Things We Learned from the Ravens' 16-13 win over the San Diego Chargers

The Ravens are impossible to figure out, but they are also impossible to count out, and you can't help but think that something magical might be brewing in Baltimore. For the first three quarters in San Diego on Sunday, the Ravens treated us to familiar inefficiencies and seemingly-mandated amounts of malaise. Because they were playing away from M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens were required to make things uncomfortable against an inferior opponent. They did it, as it is usually done, by keeping punter Sam Koch more involved than Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice and by giving the San Diego Chargers free yards and extra opportunities with penalties. At the end of the third quarter, just a moment after Rice stood on the sideline as the offense failed to gain the few necessary inches on fourth down, the Ravens trailed by a touchdown. Nothing we had seen from them in the previous seven quarters suggested that we should have expected them to cobble together a comeback. The defense was doing its part, but the offense? Let's just say Cam Cameron's ears were burning a bit. The Chargers increased their lead to 13-3 after an unnecessary roughness penalty from safety Bernard Pollard that was, well, totally unnecessary, aided their advancement down the field. But all of the sudden, the Ravens offense began to click. Quarterback Joe Flacco started to get in a rhythm with wide receivers Jacoby Jones and Torrey Smith, and he tossed the team's first offensive touchdown in two weeks to tight end Dennis Pitta to pull the Ravens within a field goal. The defense gave them the ball right back. The Ravens continued to trudge ahead despite a holding penalty and erratic passes. But after Flacco was sacked on third-and-long, they faced fourth-and-even-longer from the wrong side of midfield. They needed a miracle or, more specifically, 29 yards. And with perhaps the most electrifying check-down catch-and-run of the 2012 NFL season, Rice gained all of them and a few extra inches to spare. We know how the rest played out -- we know this because our hearts are still beating -- but after Justin Tucker sent the game into overtime with a field goal, he ended it with another in sudden death, though it was more of a gradual goodbye, with the Ravens and Chargers exchanging punts throughout overtime. Don't even bother asking me what changed for the Ravens in the fourth quarter, because I don't know and they probably don't know either. On the surface, Flacco got better protection and his receivers started running under more of his passes. I'm sure some adjustments were made. The defense kept the pressure up on Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. But maybe, just maybe, a little magic is at work here. In another game the Ravens probably should have lost, they were able to come away with the pivotal plays that their opponent let slip through their grasp. In the aftermath of this 16-13 win, it's futile to try to explain exactly what happened. Just know that they keep finding ways to win, and there is something to be said for that. They found a way to eke by the New England Patriots, a team few expected them to beat. They survived anemic offensive performances in Kansas City and Pittsburgh and Cleveland. And the football gods were on their side when they beat the Dallas Cowboys and the Chargers on Sunday. No doubt, many of their same issues continued to glare in San Diego, and maybe one or all of them will end up costing them sometime in the playoffs. But right now, it feels like something special might be happening with this Ravens team.

The Ravens are impossible to figure out, but they are also impossible to count out, and you can't help but think that something magical might be brewing in Baltimore. For the first three quarters in San Diego on Sunday, the Ravens treated us to familiar inefficiencies and seemingly-mandated amounts of malaise. Because they were playing away from M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens were required to make things uncomfortable against an inferior opponent. They did it, as it is usually done, by keeping punter Sam Koch more involved than Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice and by giving the San Diego Chargers free yards and extra opportunities with penalties. At the end of the third quarter, just a moment after Rice stood on the sideline as the offense failed to gain the few necessary inches on fourth down, the Ravens trailed by a touchdown. Nothing we had seen from them in the previous seven quarters suggested that we should have expected them to cobble together a comeback. The defense was doing its part, but the offense? Let's just say Cam Cameron's ears were burning a bit. The Chargers increased their lead to 13-3 after an unnecessary roughness penalty from safety Bernard Pollard that was, well, totally unnecessary, aided their advancement down the field. But all of the sudden, the Ravens offense began to click. Quarterback Joe Flacco started to get in a rhythm with wide receivers Jacoby Jones and Torrey Smith, and he tossed the team's first offensive touchdown in two weeks to tight end Dennis Pitta to pull the Ravens within a field goal. The defense gave them the ball right back. The Ravens continued to trudge ahead despite a holding penalty and erratic passes. But after Flacco was sacked on third-and-long, they faced fourth-and-even-longer from the wrong side of midfield. They needed a miracle or, more specifically, 29 yards. And with perhaps the most electrifying check-down catch-and-run of the 2012 NFL season, Rice gained all of them and a few extra inches to spare. We know how the rest played out -- we know this because our hearts are still beating -- but after Justin Tucker sent the game into overtime with a field goal, he ended it with another in sudden death, though it was more of a gradual goodbye, with the Ravens and Chargers exchanging punts throughout overtime. Don't even bother asking me what changed for the Ravens in the fourth quarter, because I don't know and they probably don't know either. On the surface, Flacco got better protection and his receivers started running under more of his passes. I'm sure some adjustments were made. The defense kept the pressure up on Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. But maybe, just maybe, a little magic is at work here. In another game the Ravens probably should have lost, they were able to come away with the pivotal plays that their opponent let slip through their grasp. In the aftermath of this 16-13 win, it's futile to try to explain exactly what happened. Just know that they keep finding ways to win, and there is something to be said for that. They found a way to eke by the New England Patriots, a team few expected them to beat. They survived anemic offensive performances in Kansas City and Pittsburgh and Cleveland. And the football gods were on their side when they beat the Dallas Cowboys and the Chargers on Sunday. No doubt, many of their same issues continued to glare in San Diego, and maybe one or all of them will end up costing them sometime in the playoffs. But right now, it feels like something special might be happening with this Ravens team. (US Presswire)

We'll reminisce about that game-saving catch-and-run by Ray Rice for a long time. When Ray Rice caught the shortest Hail Mary pass I have ever seen, the Ravens running back was 28 yards away from the first-down marker. For the past five years, we have seen the pint-sized powerhouse make the near-impossible jaw-droppingly possible, but this was pushing it. The Ravens trailed the San Diego Chargers by three points late in the fourth quarter, and after their game-tying drive came to a screeching halt then shifted into reverse, they faced a fourth-and-29 play to keep hope alive. But when his receivers were unable to get open down the field and his pocket began to collapse, quarterback Joe Flacco wanted to "give someone a chance," he later said, instead of just chucking it up for grabs. He figured his best bet was to flip the ball to Rice, one of the NFL's most dangerous players in the open field. As Rice turned upfield, all of the green grass in front of him quickly became littered with powder blue. He first met resistance as he crossed midfield. With three Chargers defenders bearing down on him, he swerved to the left and out of their grasp, like the fastest kid on the block outrunning the neighborhood bullies. When he got to the 40-yard line, he got a crushing block from wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who blew up Chargers safety Eric Weddle. Rice dove between a pair of defenders to cross the 33-yard line, an official review confirming what had seemed impossible as Flacco first threw the 3-yard check-down. After the Ravens tied the score and won the game with another Justin Tucker field goal late in overtime, wide receiver Torrey Smith and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said that it was the most impressive play they had seen in person. Those guys have watched -- and made -- plenty of plays in their football lives. It's a wonderful thought as much as it is a scary one, but someday, I will be chatting with a son or a granddaughter or some kind of small, curious child with a sizable chunk of my DNA, and they might ask me what it was like to watch Rice play football. That play Sunday will be among the ones that come to mind. It didn't come in a playoff game like his tone-setting touchdown run in New England and he didn't make anyone look silly with stiff arms and spin moves, like something out of a video game. Rice caught a prayer, tucked it under his arm, and carried his team when they needed a miracle, his sheer will driving his legs and pushing the ball past the marker. This play will be one to remember when they sort out the AFC playoff seeding at season's end. But its memory will linger with me for a lot longer than that.

We'll reminisce about that game-saving catch-and-run by Ray Rice for a long time. When Ray Rice caught the shortest Hail Mary pass I have ever seen, the Ravens running back was 28 yards away from the first-down marker. For the past five years, we have seen the pint-sized powerhouse make the near-impossible jaw-droppingly possible, but this was pushing it. The Ravens trailed the San Diego Chargers by three points late in the fourth quarter, and after their game-tying drive came to a screeching halt then shifted into reverse, they faced a fourth-and-29 play to keep hope alive. But when his receivers were unable to get open down the field and his pocket began to collapse, quarterback Joe Flacco wanted to "give someone a chance," he later said, instead of just chucking it up for grabs. He figured his best bet was to flip the ball to Rice, one of the NFL's most dangerous players in the open field. As Rice turned upfield, all of the green grass in front of him quickly became littered with powder blue. He first met resistance as he crossed midfield. With three Chargers defenders bearing down on him, he swerved to the left and out of their grasp, like the fastest kid on the block outrunning the neighborhood bullies. When he got to the 40-yard line, he got a crushing block from wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who blew up Chargers safety Eric Weddle. Rice dove between a pair of defenders to cross the 33-yard line, an official review confirming what had seemed impossible as Flacco first threw the 3-yard check-down. After the Ravens tied the score and won the game with another Justin Tucker field goal late in overtime, wide receiver Torrey Smith and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said that it was the most impressive play they had seen in person. Those guys have watched -- and made -- plenty of plays in their football lives. It's a wonderful thought as much as it is a scary one, but someday, I will be chatting with a son or a granddaughter or some kind of small, curious child with a sizable chunk of my DNA, and they might ask me what it was like to watch Rice play football. That play Sunday will be among the ones that come to mind. It didn't come in a playoff game like his tone-setting touchdown run in New England and he didn't make anyone look silly with stiff arms and spin moves, like something out of a video game. Rice caught a prayer, tucked it under his arm, and carried his team when they needed a miracle, his sheer will driving his legs and pushing the ball past the marker. This play will be one to remember when they sort out the AFC playoff seeding at season's end. But its memory will linger with me for a lot longer than that. (Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron)